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All rights reserved.Rent - Original Cast (CD 1996)
Rent (1996 Broadway Cast)Review created: 04/14/00
by: fdknight -- a member of Epinions
Pros:
Excellent cast and music
Excellent cast and music
Cons:
Inconsistent lyrics
Inconsistent lyrics
I don't care what anybody says- Rent is good. It isn't a groundbreaking masterpiece, and it doesn't live up to its hype. Still, it is one of the best musicals of the 1990s and deserved to win its Tony for Best Musical.
The Show
Jonathan Larson wrote book, music, and lyrics for this updated adaptation of La Boheme. Act One takes place on Christmas Eve. Roger, an HIV positive musician, wants to write one great song before his death. He and his roommate Mark, a filmmaker, are threatened with eviction by their former friend and current landlord. Mark is obsessed with his former girlfriend, Maureen, who has left him for Joanne, a young lawyer. Roger is attracted to Mimi, a dancer, but he is afraid to get involved. A friend, Collins, meets a drag queen named on Angel on the street and falls in love.
Act Two shows how these relationships progress over the course of the next year. Some of the couples stay together. Other split up. Some of the characters get sicker. One dies.
The show's focus on sick young people and hope in the face of certain mortality took on extra meaning when Larson suddenly died just as the show opened Off-Broadway. The producers capitalized on the tragedy and managed a quick Broadway transfer that might never have happened without it. They also instituted a rush program that enabled people who were willing to stand on the street all day to see the show for very little money. This got even more press and established a highly visible fan base.
The Score
Rent got so much attention from Larson's tragedy and from the kids on the street that many people have assumed that it is all hype and no substance. This is nonsense.
Larson's music is excellent. I think the score contains the best extended musical scenes in any successful rock musical. "Light My Candle" and "Happy New Year" are extraordinary because they work as dialogue and as songs- musicals have been doing this since Carousel, but it's rare in rock, probably because rock is more dependent on steady rhythm and repetition.
The variety of the score is also impressive. The driving opening song captures perfectly the elation that can come out of acknowledging desperation and anger. "Tango: Maureen" is a musical theater comedy song. "La Vie Boheme" is a list song that owes a lot to "Cool Jerk." "Seasons of Love" is a campfire anthem.
Larson's lyrics are less consistent. Sometimes, as in "Take Me or Leave Me" they are perfectly in character and clever. Sometimes they are so heavy with platitudes that they make me cringe. Poor Mimi gets saddled with innumerable clich s about seizing the day. I applaud Larson's bravery in writing in writing with what director Michael Greif called "wetness," a heart on the sleeve emotionality that is the opposite of cool. I wish the people in this musical seemed less shallow.
A problem with the score is the weakness of "Your Eyes," the song that Roger finally succeeds in writing. "One Song Glory," his song about wanting to write a great song, is amazing. Its spare instrumentation perfectly supports Roger's third person meditation on his situation. It will be remembered. "Your Eyes" is forgettable and ordinary. That might be realistic- Roger has a great song in him, but he's probably not together enough to find it. Still, it's dramatically unsatisfying and I wish Larson had been generous enough to let Roger write something wonderful.
The Recording
The original cast of Rent was so strong that several performers recreated their roles in the less successful London production. All of them sound great on the recording, with Anthony Rapp being a clear standout. Rapp's piercing voice is perfect for Mark, and he sings and acts with precision. His duets with Adam Pascal are especially good. They contrast well on the title song and Rapp brings an REM sound to "What You Own," my favorite song from the score.
Pascal's Roger is not as compelling as he might be, but he sings well. He is out-acted on the recording by the other male performers. Jesse L. Martin has a beautiful voice that blends perfectly into a character we love for his composure. Wilson Jermaine Heredia is moving and funny as Angel. I like him so much that I can almost forgive him for winning the Tony that Rapp so richly deserved.
If the women make a weaker impression, it is due to the fact that they have less to do and weaker material. Daphne Rubin-Vega is a good as Mimi, and her "Out Tonight" smolders. Fredi Walker and Idina Menzel are funny and sexy in "Take Me or Leave Me."
Just like the show, the booklet already looks a little dated. That's as it should be, and it's still a great look. The booklet includes both complete libretto and a synopsis.
The Show
Jonathan Larson wrote book, music, and lyrics for this updated adaptation of La Boheme. Act One takes place on Christmas Eve. Roger, an HIV positive musician, wants to write one great song before his death. He and his roommate Mark, a filmmaker, are threatened with eviction by their former friend and current landlord. Mark is obsessed with his former girlfriend, Maureen, who has left him for Joanne, a young lawyer. Roger is attracted to Mimi, a dancer, but he is afraid to get involved. A friend, Collins, meets a drag queen named on Angel on the street and falls in love.
Act Two shows how these relationships progress over the course of the next year. Some of the couples stay together. Other split up. Some of the characters get sicker. One dies.
The show's focus on sick young people and hope in the face of certain mortality took on extra meaning when Larson suddenly died just as the show opened Off-Broadway. The producers capitalized on the tragedy and managed a quick Broadway transfer that might never have happened without it. They also instituted a rush program that enabled people who were willing to stand on the street all day to see the show for very little money. This got even more press and established a highly visible fan base.
The Score
Rent got so much attention from Larson's tragedy and from the kids on the street that many people have assumed that it is all hype and no substance. This is nonsense.
Larson's music is excellent. I think the score contains the best extended musical scenes in any successful rock musical. "Light My Candle" and "Happy New Year" are extraordinary because they work as dialogue and as songs- musicals have been doing this since Carousel, but it's rare in rock, probably because rock is more dependent on steady rhythm and repetition.
The variety of the score is also impressive. The driving opening song captures perfectly the elation that can come out of acknowledging desperation and anger. "Tango: Maureen" is a musical theater comedy song. "La Vie Boheme" is a list song that owes a lot to "Cool Jerk." "Seasons of Love" is a campfire anthem.
Larson's lyrics are less consistent. Sometimes, as in "Take Me or Leave Me" they are perfectly in character and clever. Sometimes they are so heavy with platitudes that they make me cringe. Poor Mimi gets saddled with innumerable clich s about seizing the day. I applaud Larson's bravery in writing in writing with what director Michael Greif called "wetness," a heart on the sleeve emotionality that is the opposite of cool. I wish the people in this musical seemed less shallow.
A problem with the score is the weakness of "Your Eyes," the song that Roger finally succeeds in writing. "One Song Glory," his song about wanting to write a great song, is amazing. Its spare instrumentation perfectly supports Roger's third person meditation on his situation. It will be remembered. "Your Eyes" is forgettable and ordinary. That might be realistic- Roger has a great song in him, but he's probably not together enough to find it. Still, it's dramatically unsatisfying and I wish Larson had been generous enough to let Roger write something wonderful.
The Recording
The original cast of Rent was so strong that several performers recreated their roles in the less successful London production. All of them sound great on the recording, with Anthony Rapp being a clear standout. Rapp's piercing voice is perfect for Mark, and he sings and acts with precision. His duets with Adam Pascal are especially good. They contrast well on the title song and Rapp brings an REM sound to "What You Own," my favorite song from the score.
Pascal's Roger is not as compelling as he might be, but he sings well. He is out-acted on the recording by the other male performers. Jesse L. Martin has a beautiful voice that blends perfectly into a character we love for his composure. Wilson Jermaine Heredia is moving and funny as Angel. I like him so much that I can almost forgive him for winning the Tony that Rapp so richly deserved.
If the women make a weaker impression, it is due to the fact that they have less to do and weaker material. Daphne Rubin-Vega is a good as Mimi, and her "Out Tonight" smolders. Fredi Walker and Idina Menzel are funny and sexy in "Take Me or Leave Me."
Just like the show, the booklet already looks a little dated. That's as it should be, and it's still a great look. The booklet includes both complete libretto and a synopsis.
Review ID: 10000000000248493
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